A Juki For Short-Arm Quilting Systems

A review of Juki TL-98E from Juki

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My first encounter with a Juki TL-98E was when I found it riding on top of my friend Sarah's SuperQuilter carriage assembly. The 98E appears to be a basic straight-stitch sewing machine. But it has some great advantages over other straight-stitch sewing machines.

Read my review of the SuperQuilter

This sewing machine makes a great choice for short-arm quilting systems because the harp - the open area above the bed - is so large.

Even though it's not as large as the harp on a true long-arm machine, it gives you a full 8 inches of quilting space across the bed. And the arm is almost 6 inches tall, for lots of clearance. That is about 25% wider than regular home sewing machines and around 20% more vertical clearance.

But a large harp isn't the only reason the 98E is a good choice for short-arm machine quilting systems.

Generous Spool Rack

The spool rack handily carries regular-size spools as well as large cones. Now you can really do some serious sewing before you have to re-thread.

The thread guides stand tall, like those of a serger. And like a serger the 98E will run up to 1,500 stitches per minute. But even though the 98E runs very quickly, I was surprised at how quiet it is.

One of my favorite features of the 98E is the thread cutter. It's no big deal to cut your threads by hand when you are finished with a quilt. But quilting in sections, changing threads, skipping over applique, and other piecemeal quilting methods move along much more quickly when you can cut your thread with the push of a button. After you hear the thread cutter do its job, you can move to a new section with hardly a missed beat.

The 98E has a needle-down feature that will allow you to stop sewing with the needle still in the quilt sandwich. Using this feature, you can stop to reposition the foot pedal or make other adjustments to your workspace. You can stop for as long as you need to give yourself a rest, then pick up where you left off.

Convenient Feed Dog Lever

The feed dog lever is conveniently placed on the front of the machine so it is easy to reach and easy to see whether it is set to FEED or NOT FEED. I used the feed dogs in both positions on the SuperQuilter, and I was very pleased with the results in both positions.

The 98E comes ready to do some serious sewing. It has a walking foot, which I used in my short-arm system test. If the wall hanging I was quilting were small enough, I would use the Juki on my sewing table for free-motion quilting by hand.

The Juki TL-98E has a knee lift for the presser foot, a darning foot, and a 1/4" foot for piecing. The best use of this machine on the sewing table would be chain-piecing, turning corners, free-motion quilting or any other exercises where the needle remains in the fabric while the presser foot is lifted.

The Juki TL-98E has a table extension that lengthens the bed to 24" and widens the bed to 10-1/2" wide. That gives a nice large work surface for using quilting notions like hoops, quilting mice, and gripper gloves.

Even with the extension table in place, the bobbin is easy to access. There is a door to the left of the needle plate that flips open for easy access.

Foot Pedal And Thread Cutter

The 98E includes a rolled hem foot and a zipper foot. But the best accessory is the large foot pedal with two connections. One is for sewing, the other is for operating the thread cutter. Using the knee lift and the foot pedal, you don't have to take your hands off your quilt at all.

As much as I like the 98E, it is not without its drawbacks. Since the base of the 98E is under your quilt, it is inconvenient to reach the bobbin when you run out of thread. To reach the bobbin conveniently, you have to move the machine to the end of the rails.

The 98E's removable bobbin case loads from the left side of the base of the machine. That is only slightly more inconvenient than a bobbin case that removes from the front, and it is certainly more convenient than a drop-in bobbin.

The other thing that might cause a slight gasp is the sticker price. The suggested retail price is $1,499.99. That seems like a lot of money for a straight-stitch machine. But the 98E is really a cross between a home sewing machine, a long-arm quilting machine, and a commercial sewing machine. With some careful shopping and negotiating, you can do better on the price.

Get Some Quilting Done!

I really like the Juki TL-98E on the SuperQuilter, especially with the Handi-Handles. Being able to cut the thread, stop, go, and change speed so easily are good reasons to get the 98E and the Handi-Handles for your short-arm quilting system.

The convenient knee lift for the presser foot, the large table extension, and the accurate 1/4" foot are good reasons to use the 98E on the sewing table.

And I like the speed at which the 98E runs, because I'm a "pedal to the metal" kind of sewer. Boy, can I get some quilting done with this machine!

I'd like to thank Sarah Mylchreest of Montpelier, Vermont for her hospitality and for letting me test the Juki TL-98E on her SuperQuilter short-arm machine quilting system.

And I'd also like to thank Russ Moline, who let me test the Juki TL-98E as a stand-alone sewing machine. Russ is an owner of The Moses House quilt shop at 423 Winchester St. in Keene, New Hampshire. You can call The Moses House at 603-352-2312.

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